Of all the noteworthy TV revivals currently in some form of development, most are for series that have been off the air for longer than 14 months. However, audiences could very well witness a second wave of Criminal Minds coming to streaming in the future, as the former CBS crime drama is tentatively being set up for a quick return via the revival-happy streaming service Paramount+. While news has been fairly light for the not-yet-ordered project, former star Paget Brewster has offered fans an intriguing update about Criminal Minds' potential future.
At this point, Paramount+ and ViacomCBS have yet to make any official announcements regarding a Criminal Minds revival, but Paget Brewster confirmed that the producers and network execs have indeed already put feelers out amongst cast members about returning. Here's how she explained it to ComicBook.com:
We're very thankful that they came to everyone who was in the cast for the last four seasons – they came to all of us and said, 'Would you all come back?' And every one of us who can, who isn't already signed on to another show, we've been negotiating this. We're all hoping that it would happen and that we would be on Paramount+ as a streaming show, which would be a very different platform from what we had as a CBS show on network TV. We're doing our darnedest, and everyone's trying to make this happen.
Speaking of Criminal Minds actors who landed other jobs in the meantime, Paget Brewster herself is set to reprise the role of Judy Ken Sebben for the Adult Swim spinoff Birdgirl. That said, it's definitely easier for actors to plan their schedules around voice-acting roles than it for them to balance two different live-action projects. So unless Birdgirl is getting a super-sized order that will keep Brewster in the recording booth for months at a time, she'll almost definitely find room to bring Emily Prentiss back to Criminal Minds fans.
While an official synopsis for Criminal Minds revival isn't available, Paramount+ did confirm that the crime drama's first season on a streaming platform would be far more of a serialized story that follows a single case from the premiere through the finale. As well, it was revealed that the updated take would feature a mixture of familiar characters from the flagship series, as well as several new cast members to add to the fray. Considering Kirsten Vangsness was changing career paths with Garcia in the Criminal Minds finale, it's possible she won't be returning for the Paramount+ revival, but we're hoping.
While lots of facts are still up in the air when it comes to Criminal Minds' revival, one thing is absolutely clear: streaming on Netflix has definitely helped the Joe Mantegna-starring series add a big new following to the fanbase. And Paget Brewster understands how effective Netflix has been in expanding the show's former core viewership. In her words:
We really enjoy each other, and we really enjoy how much our fans like the show. Now we have all these new fans, who have been binging it on Netflix, in a different age group. When people used to say to me, 'You're on that show Criminal Minds,' I'd say 'Yeah, your grandma watches it.' Now it's a whole new generation and we have teenagers watching. It's crazy.
In fact, the drama's popularity on that streaming service likely factored into the decision to keep moving forward so soon with a new chapter in the BAU agents' lives. (At least for the main cast members who didn't land full-time gigs on other shows.) If there's anything we can count on today's youth for, it's streaming the unholy bejesus out of untold numbers of TV shows.
So for those who can't wait to see more from Team BAU on Criminal Minds in the future, stay tuned to see what happens next with the potential Paramount+ series. And don't forget to check out Paget Brewster in action for Adult Swim's Birdgirl, airing Sunday nights at midnight ET.
